Slice of Life
by khay
Summary: Something old; Something new; Something borrowed; Something blue; And a silver sixpence in her shoe. Written for Bade Prompt's Save the Date: The Silver Sixpence Challenge. Pure, unadulterated fluff warnings apply.
1. Chapter 1

Author: khay  
Category: Victorious  
Rating: T  
Disclaimer: Victorious and all related characters do not belong to me.  
Summary: Something old; Something new; Something borrowed; Something blue; And a silver sixpence in her shoe.  
Continuity: Set in the _Three Signs that He's Going to Propose and One Sing that He's Not_ Universe.  
Author's Notes: Written for Bade Prompt's Save the Date: The Silver Sixpence Challenge.

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**Slice of Life**

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**Of Heroes and Princesses**  
(_Something Old_)

The man only known as Gambit stealthily moved from behind one tree to another. The Brotherhood was in his sight and the last thing he wanted was to be spotted.

He had to be ready, though, he may be attacked at any moment.

When he got close enough to the clearing, Gambit bent his knees, poised to attack at any moment. He gripped his trusty bo staff tighter, its weight a reassuring presence. There might be four of them and only one of him, but he had the element of surprise on his side.

Operative word: had.

One of the Brotherhood, a mutant covered and fur and had a mouthful of very sharp teeth, lifted its huge head and let out an inhumane sound of alarm.

His companions lifted their heads, forewarned that something was amiss.

Gambit's eyes widened. So there were four of them and one of him and he didn't have the element of surprise anymore, but he was still Gambit, master thief and best hand-to-hand fighter the X-Men had ever produced. He could still take them.

Unfortunately for Gambit, he failed to take into consideration the speed the furry Brotherhood mutant fur possessed.

Quick as lightning, the being bounded to Gambit's location. Before he knew what hit him, the thing had Gambit pinned on the ground in three seconds flat.

This was not good for Gambit.

Soon, not only was Gambit pinned to the ground, he was also surrounded by the enemy.

The furry mutant sniffed once. Twice. Then attacked Gambit with its hot, thick tongue.

"Ew!" Gambit cried out as he struggled in vain to dislodge the thing on his chest. "It's eating me alive!"

"No, it's not." Gambit heard a voice, too light and too sweet to be one of the Brotherhood mutants. He looked up and saw a tiny little girl with an explosion of dark curls framing her smiling, dimpled face. Maxie's just trying to make friends."

"Yeah, by slobbering all over you." Another voice joined in the conversation, deeper but no less sweet. It was the second mutant, another girl who reminded Gambit of bedtime stories with his mother, something about a poisoned apple and a gross kiss that woke her up from her sleep.

"Maxie, heel!" The last of the brotherhood, a male mutant with coffee-colored skin muttered. "Get off the boy!"

"I'm not just a boy," he grumbled. "I'm Gambit!"

"What were you doing, spying on us?" The pretty girl with the blue eyes crouched, peering suspiciously at the fallen X-Man.

Startled, Gambit looked up and his breath caught in his throat. "Are you Snow White?" Gambit managed to ask.

"He likes you, Jade," the other girl giggled and placed her hand on the neck of the furry mutant, attempting to pull it off Gambit.

"Off, Maxie," the boy with the coffee-colored skin repeated, trying to help the giggler.

"Jade, help us!" The Giggler said.

Snow White rolled her eyes as she straightened up. "Fine. Maxie,up."

"I don't know why Maxie only listens to you. She's my dog," The Giggler chattered as Gambit felt the weight on his chest lift up. "Well, my brother's dog."

"Because she knows what's good for her." Snow White replied. She eyed Gambit suspiciously before probably deciding that he's not worth her time. "Let's go!"

Obediently, Maxie and the boy trotted after Snow White back to the clearing, leaving behind Gambit and the Giggler.

"Is your name really Gambit?" The Giggler asked.

"No." He replied. "It's a codename."

"Cool. I'm Caterina. I think my codename is Cat."

Noooo. Her codename's The Giggler.

"My name is Beck Oliver." He didn't want to answer, but manners drilled to him by his mother prevailed.

"Sorry, about Maxie, Beck Oliver. She tends to get a little overexcited." The Giggler told him. "That's Andre and Jade. Wanna play with us? You could take Robbie's place. It's his turn to play the prince but he got sick."

Gambit a.k.a. Beck Oliver was surprised when The Giggler grabbed his hand and started dragging him to the clearing.

"What are you playing?" Beck asked suspiciously.

"We're playing wedding." The Giggler giggled again.

"No way!" Beck protested. "That's for girls!"

"It's not so bad." The one The Giggler called Andre told him with a big grin. "All you have to do is stand there and smile. Then, we get to eat cake after."

"We better hurry up." Snow White suddenly said. "Maxie's getting impatient."

True enough, Maxie, tired of sitting still, barked and ran after a couple of squirrels who investigated the nearby table which had their cake and soda.

"No! Heel!" The Giggler called out but she was ignored by the furry mutant known as Maxie.

"Well, that's that!" Snow White said triumphantly as she began removing the veil on her head.

"No!" The Giggler cried out. "It's your turn to be the princess!"

"Yes!" Andre (who seemed cool enough not to warrant his own codename, much like Jean Grey) pumped his fist in the air. "I get to be the dragon!"

"A dragon?" Beck asked, curious in spite of himself. He wanted to be a dragon, too!

"Yep!" Andre replied. "The prince has to battle the dragon before he gets to marry the princess. Then we get to eat cake." He patted his tummy for emphasis.

"I'm not a princess!" Snow White protested. "And I wanna be the dragon."

"How come you always have to be the dragon?" Andre protested.

"You have to play nice, Jade." The Giggler admonished her.

"Then I want to be the vampire!"

"You can't!" The Giggler said in horror. "You said there were no vampires in the middle of the day."

"Well, I can't be the princess because my prince is out there chasing squirrels." Snow White declared, pointing to Maxie who was running and barking with joy.

"I'll be your prince!" Beck found himself hollering. If he can't be a dragon, he could be the next best thing.

"Yes!" The Giggler gasped in joy.

"You're outvoted, Jade!" Andre declared gleefully.

"Fine." Snow White pouted prettily. "But tomorrow, I get to be the dragon."

That was how six-year old Prince Gambit found himself marrying Snow White, the vampire princess dragon, one summer afternoon.

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**Once More, With Feelings**  
(_Something New_)

The seventeen-year old boy ran a nervous hand through his thick, dark hair, the object of envy/affection of many. His heart, however, firmly belonged to only one person.

Who was about to meet some of his family.

"Relax," he told his companion with confidence he didn't really feel. "You're amazing. I know she'll love you."

The girl at her side squared her shoulders and gave him a small, brave smile as she gazed upon the big, intimidating mansion in front of her.

"I know." She told him with equally false bravado.

A delighted grin graced the boy's face. His girl was amazing.

He grabbed her (much smaller) hand and gave it a squeeze. "Ready?"

When she nodded, the boy bravely pushed the doorbell.

"Baba!" The boy laughed in delight when the door opened to reveal his beloved grandfather.

His baba grinned down to a face so much like his own (only younger). "No hug for baba?"

Reluctantly, the boy released his hold on his girlfriend before throwing his arms around his granddad. He stepped back after and proudly indicated to the girl by his side. "This is her, baba."

The grandfather grinned. If the stories he had heard from his son and daughter-in-law were true, then this girl would lead his grandson around a merry chase.

He approved.

"Uh, good morning, Mr. Oliver." The girl said, making an effort to be polite.

"None of that Mr. Oliver nonsense. Call me baba." He said. "Come in, come in. Now give baba a hug!"

"Baba!" The boy groaned.

"Watch out for that lecherous old man." A voice joined in the conversation. "He refuses to believe that he is now a card-carrying member of the Senior Citizen Club. Still thinks he's in his prime."

It was the boy's grandmother, descending the steps like a regal queen. She may be advanced in years but (unlike most of her contemporaries) she had aged gracefully and could pass for someone years younger than she actually was.

The boy and the love of his life winced in tandem. It was not the grandfather that scared the two of them so, it was the grandmother.

"Nana," the boy started. "This is-"

"I know who she is," the grandmother interrupted. "Now, give me a kiss."

The boy did so, but his grandmother never took her eyes off the girl by his side.

"Her bark's worse than her bite," baba tried to reassure the girl.

The grandmother's sharp eyes turned to her husband. "I may be old, but my hearing's still sharp."

"We're not old, dear. We're like fine wine, we get better with age."

The girl's eyes widened as her boyfriend's baba grabbed his wife, dipped her and kissed her like in the movies.

"Stop it!" The teenaged boy groaned. "We have a visitor. This is not the time and place!"

Baba brought up his wife, but kept a possessive (loving) arm around her.

The boy was thankful for his baba's attempt to distract the regal woman, be he knew that his grandmother would not be deterred.

"I have heard a lot about you," the elder woman told the girl. "Not all of them good."

"Nana," the boy began ready to defend his love, but her hand on his arm stilled him.

The look the girl gave her boyfriend told him that she can handle it, and that she refused to be cowed by an old lady.

"You of all people should know that you can't believe everything you hear, Mrs. Oliver." The girl told the grandmother. Her voice belied her nervousness; she was proud that she didn't buckle, but she can't quite meet her elder's piercing gaze.

A moment of charged silence before the grandmother dipped her head in acknowledgement. "Very well. It's time for dinner." She turned to her grandson. "Lead your guest to the dining hall."

The boy gave his grandmother a thankful look as he grabbed his girl's hand and started to drag her to the dining area, before his grandmother could change her mind and start the inquisition.

The grandmother watched her grandson and the girl who had captured his heart walk away. She then turned to her husband who was watching her.

"What?" She demanded.

"Go easy on them, babe." He told her. "They're in love."

"At that age?" She scoffed.

Her husband laughed. "Don't they remind you of someone?"

"No." She denied. Her face softened, etched with worry. "They're too young."

"That's what they said about us, too." He reminded her. "And now look at us: together for fifty years, married for thirty-nine. Hey, we should totally do a big shindig when we hit our fortieth year to thumb our noses at those who said we wouldn't make it past our second anniversary."

"Most of those people are now dead."

"Yeah." He paused, disappointed that his excuse to party was shot down. But, "We should still do it, you know, to serve as inspiration to young people all over the world, showing them that true love triumphs in the end."

"Ugh, Beck, don't be a sap."

"Yeah, I love you, too, Jade." He laughed. "Now, let's go to the dining hall before our beloved grandson decides to make out with his girl."

"Now you're just trying to make me lose my appetite."

Beck Oliver laughed.

It had been quite a wild ride, all those years with Jade West, but he wouldn't exchange any of those precious seconds with the world.

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	2. Chapter 2

Author: khay  
Category: Victorious  
Rating: T  
Disclaimer: Victorious and all related characters do not belong to me.  
Summary: Something old; Something new; Something borrowed; Something blue; And a silver sixpence in her shoe.  
Continuity: Set in the _Three Signs that He's Going to Propose and One Sing that He's Not_ Universe.  
Author's Notes: Written for Bade Prompt's Save the Date: The Silver Sixpence Challenge.

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**Slice of Life**

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**With a Little Help**  
(_Something Borrowed_)

"No, I think it would be better if-" Beck Oliver paused mid sentence when he felt the phone inside his jeans vibrate. "Excuse me, I need to take this call."

It was his first day back to work since Jade gave birth to their son, Lucas, four months ago.

During those four months, Beck refused to work, choosing instead to stay at home and enjoy his family.

However, after three and a half months of family bonding time, Jade had enough. She begged Beck to attend the pre-production meeting of his next movie so that she could get a break from him shadowing her every move and asking what she needed and if she felt alright.

Beck, smart man that he was, agreed. (Jade pushing him away hurt a bit, to be honest. He was enjoying his new role as a dad and as a full time family man. But Jade was Jade and she needed time alone, even if it meant time away from her doting husband.) He knew Jade had everything under control. However, he made Jade promise that if the slightest thing go wrong, she was to call him immediately.

Therefore, Beck had to take that call which might be from his wife.

Beck frowned when he went out of the room they were meeting in and saw that it was Sinjin Van Cleef who was calling him.

That was a first.

Not that Sinjin wasn't a constant fixture in his life, because he was. Sinjin was Jade's right hand. Beck didn't know how that happened, but somehow, Sinjin made himself so indispensable to Jade that she constantly needed his help.

Beck shrugged and took the call, better to ask Sinjin what he wanted rather than to keep guessing (because with Sinjin, one can never be too sure). "Hello?"

"First of all, don't panic, everything is under control." Came the man's high-pitched tone without so much as a _hello_.

"What's wrong? Is Jade okay? Luke?" If there was a statement guaranteed to make Beck panic, that was it.

"What part of don't panic and everything is under control did you not understand?" Sinjin demanded.

Yep. Sinjin was definitely spending too much time with Jade.

"Will you just spit it out?" Beck's hands were cold and clammy. He started walking to the parking lot without thought to the people he was leaving in the meeting. He was only half-listening to Sinjin, the rest of his attention devoted to figuring out the fastest route home.

"Well, according to Jade, Luke started crying about a fifteen minutes after you left and refused to stop since. She said she tried everything: feeding him, carrying him, changing his diaper, nothing worked."

"So she called you?" Why not me? Beck thought as he slid into his car and gunned the engine. He set the phone on handsfree mode and slid it into the car holder.

"Yeah, after an hour of non-stop crying." Sinjin said.

Beck's car peeled out of the parking lot as he stepped on the gas. He knew he was tempting fate, talking on the phone and going over the speed limit but his wife and kid needed him.

"So I called Trina." Sinjin continued.

"What? Trina?" Was Sinjin out of his mind?

Wait. This was Sinjin. Of course he was out of his mind.

"Yes, Trina." Sinjin said as if it was the most logical thing in the world to do. "I tried your mom and Jade's mom but they're both not answering their phones."

Beck remembered that Jade's mom, a lawyer, was in a high-profile hearing while his own mother probably forgot her phone inside her car again.

"So I called Trina because she's the only one we know who's got a kid of her own."

Alright, so maybe Sinjin wasn't as crazy as some people thought him to be.

"So how are they now?" Beck asked.

"Luke fell asleep, and we all thought, that's it, crisis averted. Then Jade started crying. She lost it, Beck, she really lost it."

"I'll take care of it, Sinj. I'm almost there. Thanks."

"Sure, Beck. Oh, I see your car now. You know, you shouldn't be on the phone while driving. That's dangerous."

"Uh, yeah, thanks."

Beck came tearing out of his car the moment it came to a complete stop. He gave Sinjin a nod of thanks and tossed the car keys to him so that he can park it properly.

Sinjin's blue eyes twinkled in excitement at the chance of driving Beck's precious vintage car.

"Jade?" Beck called out once he entered the house.

"Oh, thank God you're here!" Trina Morrison nee Vega met him at the receiving room. "Jade's fine. I mean, she's still crying, but Robbie's with her and he made her tea."

"What happened?" Beck asked. "Why was Luke crying?"

"Beck, sometimes babies gotta cry, you know." Trina said with a wave of her hand. "Don't worry, my husband checked out Luke and declared him to be fine. He's sleeping like a little angel now."

That was one thing off Beck's list of worries. He smiled at Trina. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." She said as a car honked outside. "Oh, that's Drew. I gotta go. We have a lunch date with his surgeon friends. Bye!"

Beck escorted Trina out of the house and into her husband's luxury car. It was, after all, the least he could do.

(Trina met her husband at the lowest point of her life. After graduating from Hollywood Arts, she skipped college, fully convinced that she didn't need it and she was talented enough to make it big in show business. However, after one failed audition after another, she decided that it was her looks that was hindering her from the fame she so rightly deserved. So with her college tuition money, she went to the highest-paid and most popular doctor in Hollywood, Drew Morrison, _Surgeon for the Stars_. They fell in love and the rest, as they say, was history. He was the best thing that happened to her. Not only did he convince Trina that she was perfect the way she was, he helped Trina discover her calling in life-to be a doctor's wife.)

Beck then hurried into his house.

After having been reassured by Trina that his wife was alright, Beck decided to check on little Luke first.

At first, he thought that Trina left music on to lull Luke to sleep. When Beck peeked in, however, he was surprised by the sight that greeted him.

"Guys?"

As one, the trio who were softly singing a lullaby version of Make It Shine turned around and stopped their singing.

"Beck!" Tori greeted him with a smile.

As soon as the singing stopped, Luke began wailing.

"Oh no!" Cat gasped.

"Start from the beginning, ladies," Andre told them.

On cue, both Cat and Tori began their singing, but Luke was still crying.

"Andre, I told you, it won't work unless a boy and a girl sing at the same time!" Cat hissed while Tori continued her serenade.

"Sorry, lil' Red." Andre said as he jumped in the song, just like old times.

True enough, Luke immediately quieted down.

"Luke likes his lullabies." Cat said simply. "We got it here. Now, go to Jade."

"Wow. Uh, thanks, guys." Beck said, overwhelmed.

Tori and Andre waved him away.

He left his son in his friends' capable hands and searched for his wife.

He found her in the kitchen, hunched over a cup of tea, with Robbie as sentry.

"Finally!" Robbie said in relief as he stood up. "Talk to your wife." He hissed at Beck as he made his way out of the kitchen. Much louder, he added, "I'm off to Luke's room to relieve Uncle Andre from singing duties."

After Robbie left, Beck approached Jade and removed the cup of tea from her hands. He knew the tea was more for Robbie than for Jade. Making tea, Robbie discovered, soothed him. So every time there's a problem, Robbie made tea.

"What happened?" Beck asked her gently.

And just like that, Jade started crying again. "I'm a horrible mother!"

Beck's eyes widened as Jade buried her face in his chest. "No, you're not." He told her firmly.

Jade's response was muffled by Beck's chest, but he got the gist of it. He resisted the urge to shake some sense into her. Instead, he took her by the shoulders and forced her to meet his eyes.

"You're a wonderful mom."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are. And I have proof."

Jade sniffed and eyed him suspiciously. "What?"

"See that tea? I'd bet a million dollars that you never drank from it."

"Of course not. I'm breastfeeding."

"Exactly."

Jade waited for him to explain. "That's it?" She demanded when he didn't elaborate. "I don't drink tea so therefore I'm a good mother?"

Beck chuckled. "No. It's the fact that you don't drink tea or anything with caffeine because you're breastfeeding that makes you a great mother. It shows that you're willing to sacrifice for Luke. So you may not know everything there is to know about child rearing, but you're willing to learn. That makes you better than a lot of other mothers out there."

Jade mulled that over in her mind. She nodded. She got it.

(She also finally got Robbie's speech about how if Luke was Harry Potter, he would also survive a killing curse because of Jade's love for him.)

"You're alright now?" Beck asked.

Jade nodded. "Thanks, babe."

Now that Jade was alright, it was time to go into the things that bothered Beck so. "Why didn't you call me when Luke wouldn't stop crying?"

"Because I don't want to disturb you from your meeting. They're giving you a chance to direct this really huge project, Beck, I don't wanna screw it up!"

"You do know that you and Luke are most important to me, right?"

"I know." Jade covered her face with her hands. "I wasn't thinking clearly. The lack of sleep and the exhaustion-" she paused. "I have no excuse really. I'm sorry."

Jade seldom apologized, so that was enough for Beck.

"Next time call me. We're partners, remember?"

Jade sniffed and nodded before throwing her arms around her husband.

"Now, should we rescue our friends from the evil clutches of Baby Luke?"

Jade thought about it. "Nah. Robbie told me that him and Tori are thinking of finally having kids. Let's leave them be for a bit so they'll know what exactly what they're getting into."

That was his girl. Motherhood may have softened her, exhaustion almost broke her, but she was still the Jade West he had fallen in love with.

.

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**Unfaithful**  
(_Something Blue_)

It wasn't easy being Beck Oliver, but he was willing to work hard to get what he wanted and to achieve his goals.

Some days, though, were much harder than others.

This was one of those days.

It had started good enough: he was gazing at the complimentary copy of a magazine that featured him, Jade and Luke on the cover. It was their first public photo shoot as a family, for Jade was fiercely protective of their son and refused to unnecessarily expose him to the harsh glare of Hollywood.

However, both Beck and Jade had long ago chose to live in the public eye, so the public was naturally curious about their son. The more they tried to protect and hide him, the more determined the paparazzi became to get a photo of Luke Oliver. Both Beck's and Jade's managers and publicists suggested that they simply give the public what they want: a family picture. And so they did the shoot with an understanding with the publishing company that a certain percentage of its profits would go to Beck's favorite charity.

Gazing at the magazine, people would think that Beck Oliver's life was perfect. It almost was, in Beck's opinion: the love of his life was his wife, his son Luke was perfect and adorable, his acting career was taking off, and he had the house with the white picket fences (he was still working on the dog and the additional one point five kid, but he believed it was only a matter of time).

Then came the phone call that almost sent his world crashing down.

"Beck! Have you heard?" His manager Rick Wayne demanded without preamble the moment Beck picked up the phone.

"What?"

"There's this woman on the morning show claiming that you got her pregnant but refused to acknowledge her daughter." Rick explained.

"What? That's not true!" Beck denied with a frown. "What woman are we talking about?"

"She has photos to prove your affair, Beck, and her daughter looks just like Luke."

"She's lying!" Beck snapped.

"Alright, I believe you, but Beck, but there's this added problem that the woman is twenty-two years old and her little girl is only five. That would make her seventeen when she allegedly had your baby. If that's true, then-"

"Call me again later. I need to talk to my wife."

"But, Beck!"

Ending the phone call, Beck strode out of his office. "Jade?" He called out. He was determined to be the one to tell her, so he can do some damage control.

When he reached the living room, however, he knew that he was too late.

Jade's PearBook was on the coffee table, its screen flashing the photo of a little girl who had a striking resemblance to their Luke with an inset of a pretty, blond woman barely in her twenties.

"Jade!" Beck shouted for his wife, desperate to see her.

Beck found his wife on their balcony, the very place where he proposed to her. She was leaning against the railing and gazing up at the sky.

"Jade?" Beck hesitantly stepped into the balcony. "Babe? It's not true, I never met that woman in my life!"

Slowly, Jade turned to face Beck.

"I never cheated on you, I swear," he told her desperately as he grasped her hands in his.

"Beck."

Beck braced himself for the accusations, the threats and the screams.

Surprisingly, none came.

"I believe you."

With those three words, the weight that threatened to crush Beck miraculously lifted.

He sobbed in relief as he embraced his wife. "Thank you."

"Yeah. I know you better than anyone, Beck. You wouldn't do that to me, or to Luke, or to that little girl."

Beck smiled down at the woman that knew him best of all and pressed a kiss on her forehead.

"And I also know that you know me enough that if you try that stunt on me, I will cut off your balls with the bluntest pair of scissors I own."

The wince was automatic, the smile that graced his face was not. "I know I don't say this enough, but I love you. So much."

"Yeah, yeah." The words were dismissive, but she smiled back at her husband. She pulled down his face for a kiss, part reassurance and part fortification. They had a long day ahead of them.

"Now, call your manager and your publicist and I'll call mine. We'll show that grunch that nobody messes with the Olivers."

Beck Oliver was once again awed by her: Jade West, loving wife, super mom, award-winning actor/director/scriptwriter, recording artist, avenging goddess.

Once again, he thanked God that he met her and her merry group of friends years ago in that clearing in the park.

It was not easy being Beck Oliver, but he had long ago learned that easy's boring.

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Endnotes:  
*I was trying to distract myself from the sad goodbye tweets and posts in my timeline. It didn't quite work :(  
*Something Old was inspired by Nora Roberts' _Bride Quartet_.  
*I think that the fic for Something New could also fit the prompt for Something Old because Beck and Jade are old in that fic. Lol.  
*In Something Borrowed, the theme had something to do with their circle of friends and borrowed happiness, so I threw everyone in there. And yes, Sinjin is their friend! (Jade, btw, is suffering from post-partum depression, hence, the waterworks.)  
*Something Blue was brainstormed and written in, like, an hour or less, so sorry for all the errors. I will go back and reread what I have written sometime after when the hurt is not as palpable :(


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